


It's Meant To Be

by PerpetualFangirl



Category: Criminal Minds, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Blood, Cutting, Drug Abuse, Emails, F/M, Fear, Fluff, Kidnapping, Knives, Love, POV Original Female Character, POV Spencer Reid, Phone Calls & Telephones, Romance, Smut, Stalking, Swearing, Sweet, cheesy romances ftw :), extremely cheesy at times, hints about rape, restrains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-22 02:39:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11370861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerpetualFangirl/pseuds/PerpetualFangirl
Summary: When Spencer Reid started speaking to someone in an online sobriety chatroom, he didn't expect anything to come of it. He certainly did expect the course of events that would follow.---This is a bit of a play on the Spencer/Maeve story line.





	1. Olivia

"Are you still having those dreams?" I asked, after a few minutes of silence from the man on the phone.

He sighed and it was enough of a response. "Spencer Reid, why didn't you tell me before?" I began pacing the floor of my living room again, a little frustrated with the man I had started getting close with.

We had both had our struggles. Him with a drug addiction after being kidnapped by some lunatic and me with alcohol, after I had started being stalked. I had no idea who was behind it. But the letters and creepy phone calls kept coming no matter where I moved.

"Because it's not necessary, Olivia. It's just dreams, it's not like they can hurt me." He said quietly.

"They can't hurt you physically, but they can do horrible things to your sleep patterns." I peeked out the large picture window, looking out into the dark street before pulling the black curtains closer together.

"The average adult human only needs about 6 hours of sleep a night. I get that sometimes." He defended, and I couldn't help but chuckle at his ability to always throw out random facts.

"You're going to damage that big brain of yours." 

"It would take a lot more than a little sleep deprivation to hurt my brain. You should know that."

I laughed "Yeah, yeah, genius Doctor Reid. My apologies"

He laughed and I reveled in the sound. I shouldn't be getting attached to him, I even avoided seeing my parents from fear of whoever was stalking me could hurt them if I got too close. Our familial relationship was kept to mostly emails and text messages. Both my email and phone number were changed often to not be traceable. But there was something about this man that captivated me. Even if I had no idea what he looked like, I could feel the beginning tugs of affection on my heart.

I knew some things about him. Like how he was caring, extremely intelligent and worked for the government. I knew that he loved chess and books and spouting random facts at any given moment. I knew that his mother was sick and he wrote to her everyday. I also was coming to learn how easily he could make me laugh, and how the phone ringing at the time of day he was supposed to call me caused my heart to nearly burst out of my chest with excitement, rather than the dread and fear I was so used to.

"Olivia?" Spencer's voice was quiet. "Are you still there?"

I realized that I was staring at the same spine of a book on the bookshelves that lined the wall of one side of the living room. "I'm here."

"I-I want to meet you."

My heart stuttered in my chest. "Spencer..." I started.

"I know. I know you're worried about the stalker, but I can protect you. My team can help find him." His voice was convincing and I almost gave in.

"Spence, I've had police go through everything. I've had them follow me around, trace emails and phone calls. They're impossible to find." I rubbed my eyes under my black rimmed glasses. There was nothing more I wanted right now than to finally meet him. It had been months of phone calls, him calling me from a disposable cell phone or pay phone. Every few months I would give him a new phone number to call me at, and he always kept calling. 

"But we can do more. We've found criminals that had gone years without being caught. We can do this."

I sighed. "I have to go."

"Olivia..."

"Spencer." I took a deep breath, feeling my eyes burn with unshed tears. "I would love nothing more than to finally meet you. But I can't risk this guy hurting you. I care about you too much."

I heard him inhale deeply as if I shocked him. "I care about you too. That's why I need to help you through this " he sounded adamant now.

"I've got to go."

"Olivia."

"Goodbye, Spencer." I hung up the phone, wiping the tear that had started trailing down my cheek. I felt terrible for hanging up on him, but meeting him and having to rely on someone else to help me out of this mess was completely out of the question. I had clearly done something to someone that caused this to happen. I was the only one that was going to pay the price for whatever mistake I made. 

The living room was dark, lit only by the lamp on the side table next to the large sectional couch and the light from my laptop that was open on the coffee table.

I walked over to the laptop when it dinged with an incoming email. The familiar knot formed in my stomach as I walked over to it. Pulling up the email, I braced myself for the threats and profanity that they always contained.

_How does it feel to be less than nothing. No one would miss you, you disgusting cunt. It would be best if you just let me find you so I can gut you myself. Just wait until I find you, you're going to wish you were never born._

I closed out the email and transferred it to a folder. I probably should've  deleted all of them, but the police had asked me to keep a record, even though they could never find the source. They always came from a different email address every couple weeks.

I had become numb to the nasty emails. The things that still bothered me were the mechanical sounding voice messages and the constant feeling of being watched. It was hard to ignore the sweet relief that alcohol provided me. When I was drunk, I could almost forget the fear that had embedded itself into my everyday life. I hadn't been able to work in months. I had to take a long term leave from the university library that I had been working in for years.

This stalker had taken everything from me. My freedom, my job, my sobriety, my parents and now they were about to take something else from me. I knew I couldn't drag Spencer on forever. 

When I had finally gotten fed up of waking up in puddles of my own sweat and vomit, I had joined an online support group for addicts. It was closer to an online chat room, there was a group chat that was always full of motivational quotes and sayings, and then there was individual rooms and private messages. I started chatting with Spencer after he posted a long explanation about the effects of different drugs on the human body.

The way he approached it so scientifically, yet not sounding like he just Googled the response, made me want to talk to him more. And I was not disappointed. In all my years of working with intelligent, well read people at the University, I had never met someone quite like him.

He fascinated me. He was awkward and seemed to stumble around responses, if his constant erasing and retyping of messages was anything to go by. Even so, he was very helpful and thoughtful in his responses. After a few months of talking, he asked if he could call me. And after much deliberation, I finally agreed. He already knew about my stalker and was understanding about having to call me from different numbers just in case. I kind of adored him for that.

I took my glasses off and rubbed my hand over my face. It was getting late, so I got up and walked through my one bedroom apartment, checking all the windows and the door for the tenth time and double checked the alarm system. Finally content that everything was secure, I walked through hallway and to the bathroom to fill the tub up with water.

The only way I was able to sleep was to take a long hot bath and read a book. It was actually a routine that Spencer had suggested, rattling off some explanation about endorphins and the benefits of hot water.

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I undressed and sunk into the bath. I immediately felt the tension start to leave my back and shoulders as the heat did its job. Sighing, I reached over and grabbed the cheesy romance novel that I was reading for the umpteenth time.

When you're stuck in the same house with the same books for months, you tend to run out of things read. This one was my favorite lately. A college romance about a woman dealing with past abuse and the man that came into her life to help her realize she wasn't broken. That she didn't deserve what happened to her.

I got out of the tub as the water began to cool too much. Wrapping myself in a towel, I walked to my room and dressed in a nightgown before laying in bed to keep reading until I fell asleep.

My dreams were filled with a faceless man and an embrace so warm I felt like I would never be scared again.


	2. Spencer

Spencer Reid had no idea what to do. As he got out of the cab outside of the federal office he worked at, he wracked his brain to try to figure out a solution to help Olivia. Problem solving was his forte, and there wasn't normally a problem he couldn't figure out. But the answer to this one was lost to him.

He was distracted as he walked into the office and put his bag on his desk. He needed to help her. He admired her stubbornness, but he hated it at the same time. His team could easily track down this guy. Hell, even Penelope, the Technical Analyst for the team, would be able to find this guy in no time. But a criminal who only ever stalked one person and never murdered anyone was not on the BAU's radar. Her hesitance to let him help her stoked the fear that she didn't want his help because she didn't want to meet him.

"Hey! Spencer!"

Spencer was jolted out of his thought by his friend and colleague Derek Morgan placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at Derek quickly before shaking his head. "Sorry. Hi."

"You alright, Pretty Boy?"

"Yeah, um." Spencer cleared his throat. "I'm fine."

"We got a case, let's go." Derek explained, motioning towards the conference room.

Spencer nodded and followed Derek into the room that the rest of their team was already occupying waiting for the briefing. He waved a small 'Hello' to them before sitting down in a vacant seat around the conference table.

The next half hour was spent with Spencer trying to concentrate on the case that was being presented. It was difficult, but he finally managed to concentrate, resolving to call Olivia as soon as he had the chance so he could apologize for pushing her too far.

"Alright, wheels up in 30." Hotch said, standing up and tapping the edge of the file folder he was holding on the table.

They were heading to a small town in Montana where a couple children had gone missing on their way home from school. The cases with children were always the hardest to handle and he had to be on the top of his game.

Leaving the conference room, Spencer grabbed one of the burner phones he left in his locked desk drawer before finding an empty office to escape to. He took a deep breath and dialed Olivia's number.

"Spencer!"

He gave a sigh of relief that she even answered his call.

"Spencer?"

"Um. Hi"

"Is everything okay?" She asked, sounding worried.

"Everything's fine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and I wanted to apologize." He sat on the side of the desk, holding the phone between his cheek and shoulder and nervously twisting his fingers together.

"You don't need to apologize." She laughed lightly. "I'm okay, Spence."

"I'm relieved to hear that. But I shouldn't have pushed you. I understand if you don't want to meet me." He hated the doubt and self-deprecation that was leaking into his voice, but the fear that she wouldn't like the way he looked was something that was eating at him.

The line was quiet for a moment. "Y-you think that I don't want to meet you? Spencer, for someone who is classified as a genius, you're acting kind of stupid right now."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I can't help it."

Olivia sighed. "I want to meet you, Spencer. I want to meet the most interesting man I have ever spoken to."

Spencer felt himself flush "We'll make this work. Just..” He sighed. “Just don't be surprised if I don't look like a typical government agent."

"You don't think I'll like the way you look? Now I think you lied when you told me your IQ" she joked before turning serious. "Spencer, I don't care what you look like."

He laughed. "I definitely didn't lie." Maybe he was over thinking this. "Anyways, I'm heading to Montana for a case. I won't be back in town for at least a few days. Can I call you while I'm away?" He played with his tie as he was waited for her response.

"Of course. I would love that."

He smiled broadly before glancing at the clock. "Alright, I got to get to the plane. I will call you as soon as I have a minute when we get to Montana."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Bye Olivia."

"Bye Spence, love you."

Spencer was speechless as he heard her disconnect the line. He slowly lowered the phone from his ear and stared at it. He was comfortable enough with his intelligence and his hearing to know he didn't mishear her. It wasn't like he would hallucinate the words. She said she loved him and he felt his heart squeeze in his chest, a feeling a elation coming over him. He needed to meet her. He was going to get through this, he was going to keep her safe and be able to hold her. It had been a long nine months and 22 days that he had been speaking to her and telephone tag was no longer a game he was in the mood for.

\---

Twenty minutes later Spencer was sitting in the jet staring out the window. Everyone had situated themselves, Derek listening to music, JJ, Alex and Rossi reading and Hotch going through the case file.

It wasn't until shortly before the plane landed when Spencer finally noticed that Alex had moved from her spot to the seat right in front of him.

“Spencer. Hi.” she said softly.

He looked at her quickly before averting his eyes back to the window. “Hi.”

“You want to explain why you've been so quiet this trip?” she asked, cocking her head slightly to the side. As gruff as Alex seemed to everyone she met, she was actually quite kind and concerned about her coworkers, almost maternal at some points.

Spencer shrugged. “Just thinking about the case.” he lied smoothly.

“Uhuh. And running off and almost being late to catch the jet was because of the case?” she asked. He knew he was busted, but he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to tell anyone about Olivia.

“No. That was something different. But I'm quiet because of the case.”

She nodded and reached over to pat his arm. “If you need to talk to someone, you know where to find me.”

“I know.”

Just then, Penelope's bright voice came from the television screen that was positioned at the front of the cabin. “Alright guys, let me give you the lower of the down low before you land your pretty butts in Montana. There's been an update”

\---

Spencer heaved a sigh of relief as he finally made it into his hotel room. Quiet and solitude was all he needed right now after the day surrounded by people, sadness, riddles and clues. The more the minutes and hours ticked by, the more anxious he got about calling Olivia again. He had promised her that he would call when he had a minute, but as soon as they landed he was interviewing and trying to comfort the family members. The case seemed pretty straight forward, but with no breaks so far, Hotch had instructed all of them to go to the hotel and get a solid night sleep.

He dug through the go bag that was sitting on the twin size bed and rummaged through it for the burner phones he had packed quickly before. Finally finding one, he got himself comfortable on the bed before calling her.

It rang through to voicemail and Spencer hung up. He reached over to his bag and pulled out one of many books he brought with him to pass the time. He opened it to the spot saved by the bookmark and ran his finger down the page, his eyes flicking rapidly back and forth to read the words on the page.

He was pulled out of the book by the burner phone ringing. Smiling to himself, he answered it quickly.

“Hi.”

“Spencer? Is everything alright? You're calling so late.” 

He laughed lightly and put his book back in his book. “Everything is fine, Olivia. I just only now got the chance to call you. Were you sleeping?”

“No, just reading.” she replied. He heard a slight splash in the background.

“Are you... Are you in the bath?” he asked, his voice lowering.

She chuckled. “Yeah, sorry. I was getting ready for bed.”

He gulped, chastising himself for the less than pure road his thoughts were starting to go down. He could feel the heat rising to his face. “Uhm. Oh, well I can call you tomorrow if you'd like. Let you, uh, enjoy your bath.”

“It's alright, Spencer. I don't mind talking to you. How was your day?” she asked, as calm as ever.

He talked to her about the case, going into detail enough so that she understood, but not enough that it would give away too many gruesome details or personal information about the victims or families. They spoke for a couple hours, her voice lulling Spencer into sense of calm that only she was able to provide him. By the time he finally hung up with her, after a long drawn out goodbye, it was late and he knew he had to at least try to get a few hours of sleep before he went back out to the field the next day. 

As he undressed and laid down in the bed, his brain was running a mile a minute. He was running through every possible circumstance to try to get Olivia safe. Running through every option from hunting down the stalker himself, to getting Olivia to move in with him. The latter was something he was honestly considering. He fell asleep with knots in his stomach at the prospect of finally meeting her.


	3. Olivia

I was so excited for Spencer to come home from Montana. He had actually ended up being gone a little over a week and I had talked to him a few times while he was gone, but one thing that I failed to mention to him was that I hadn't received any messages or phone calls since the day before he left. As much I wanted to tell him, I was also worried that it was a false stop. I figured that this person was just taking some sort of break. I laughed sardonically and shook my head, yeah, stalking someone must be so exhausting.

The laughter felt so good. This was the first time that I felt any sort of relief that was not involving Spencer or alcohol. The smile began to fade from my lips as the thought of Spencer crossed my mind. Every time I thought about meeting him, the nerves became nearly overwhelming. It was a welcomed break from fear, but it brought on a whole slew of other issues. I cared about Spencer enough that I had no worry about what he looked like. I was curious, of course, but I wouldn't care. I had a vague picture of him in my head, what I pictured him to look like. I assumed he was tall, maybe a little nerdy. Glasses? Regardless he seemed adorable. It had kind of surprised me that that was one of his concerns about meeting me, but I knew that I would love him regardless.

There was that word again. Spencer hadn't brought it up, but the conversation before he left kept playing in my head. If I was able to actually kick myself to cause pain, I would. Allowing the 'L' word to slip at the end of a conversation had to be one of the stupidest things I could ever do. It didn't seem to bother him too much, considering he still called me. But it's not like he said it back, how could he? He didn't know me. I mean, I didn't know him either, not in the actual sense of the term.

When all of this was said and done and I had my freedom back, I had a few things that I wanted to do. The first was do something for myself: A trip to a hair salon to trim up my long brown hair. Then, a trip to a bookstore. I missed the feeling of walking into a building full of books. The endless possibilities of amazing stories that would stick with me forever was one of the hardest things about being stuck at home alone. After that would be a trip to see my parents. To be able to visit and hug them and talk face to face was a thought that nearly brought tears to my eyes. And then once I did all of those, I was going to finally meet the person who brought me the most comfort in the last 10 months of my forced captivity.  
Lost in my own thoughts, it took me a second to realize that my phone was ringing. There was a quick jolt of fear, before I realized Spencer was supposed to be calling me when he got back.

I reached over from my place on the couch and grabbed the cordless phone.

“Spencer.” I answered with a smile.

“I'm back.” he said, and I could hear a smile in his voice.

I pulled my legs up onto the couch, tucking my legs underneath me. “Welcome home. How was your flight? I'm happy to know there was no crash.” When I was able to leave the house, I did everything possible to avoid flying. It always made me nervous when Spencer would leave on the company jet.

“It was fine. You know, the chance of being killed in a plane crash is 1 in 11 million which statistically speaking means that you're more likely to be killed in a car accident, since those numbers sit closer to 1 in 5000. It really calms you down when you think of it that way. Makes the thought of being 39000 feet in the air a little easier to bear.” he rattled off his explanation and I nodded along.

“Great, so when I finally get in a car again, I can worry about a new fear.”

“Public transportation is a little safer, just do to the size of the vehicle. But as long as you use all necessary safety restraints and drive carefully, you'll be fine.”  
I laughed. “Always full of good advice.”

“I try.”

“So, Spencer...” I started. I was still nervous about actually voicing that the calls and emails had stopped, but I figured I had to tell him. “I have some news.”

“Oh?”

“The calls and emails stopped.” I couldn't help the excitement slipped into my voice.

“What? Since when?”

“The last email I received was the day before you left for Montana. Spence... I think he's finally stopped.” Voicing my hunch was making me giddy, I got up and started pacing the room, waiting for Spencer to speak again. He had gone dead quiet on the other end. “Spencer?”

“I'm here, I just can't believe what you're saying to me. So...” I heard him take a deep breath. “We can finally meet?”

I nodded and smiled happily. “Yes. I think we can.”

“When?” he sounded so excited that my smile grew larger.

“Soon. Now. Whenever. Spencer I'm so anxious to meet you.” I rolled my eyes at myself. I was going to scare the poor man off if I wasn't careful.

“Now. Definitely now. Do you want me to come pick you up? Or do you want to meet somewhere?” 

I laughed. “Well, let's do this carefully. I still want to take some precautions.”

“I was going to call you today with the idea that you come stay with me for a little bit.” he said, his voice lowering.

My eyes widened. “But... why?”

“Think about it. We have been so careful to hide our communications, this person has no idea who I am. They have no idea that we know each other.”

“That's true Spencer, but they found me regardless where I went. Either way, I don't need to stay with you. We can just meet.” How I managed to get through that sentence was a mystery to me. The idea that he wanted me to move in with him, even temporarily, was throwing my thoughts for a loop.

“Alright. There's a coffee shop off of 5th. Do you know the one I'm talking about?” he asked.

I knew the place and it wasn't very far from me. “Yes, I know exactly where it is.”

“Okay, I'll be there in an hour. Let me take a quick look around the place and you'll meet me there in an hour and a half?”

“Yes. Absolutely!.” my face was starting to hurt from smiling. I needed to get my act together before I actually met him.

“I can't tell you how happy I am that this can finally happen.”

“Me either, Spencer. So I-I'll see you soon? I'll have my cell phone with me” I needed to have a few minutes. And I had to get ready. I was never usually someone to fuss about my appearance, but the prospect of him actually seeing me made me realize that my normal dress of sweat pants and over-sized sweaters was not going to cut it.

“Okay. I'll see you in exactly 1 hour and 26 minutes.”

I grinned. “I'm looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

I slowly pulled the phone from my ear and hit the end button. Spinning around, I ran into my room to search through my dresser. Pulling out a pair of my neglected blue jeans and a red cold shoulder top, I went into the bathroom to shower and get ready.

I showered quickly, making a record time of 15 minutes to wash and shave my legs and under arms. Stepping out, I wrapped a towel around myself and started working on drying my hair so it fell in slight waves down my back. I never wore make up, even when I was working. Never had the patience to spend time putting it on. So I opted for a little bit of lip gloss before dressing. I threw on some sandals and I was ready to go, with 40 minutes to go.

With so much time to spare, I almost called Spencer back to tell him that I couldn't go. I felt like I was going to be sick. Sitting on the couch, I took off my glasses and leaned forward, putting my head almost between my knees until the nausea passed.

When it was finally time for me to leave so I got there on time, I grabbed my keys and purse, making sure my wallet and cell phone were in it, before taking a deep breath and taking my first steps outside my apartment door for the first time in months. I glanced around nervously and took my cellphone out to call a taxi. I may be leaving the apartment, but I was not ready to walk down the street alone quite yet. Locking the door, I walked down the stairs and into the lobby area, checking over my shoulder every few feet.

The feeling of finally getting out of my prison was exhilarating. The farther away from my apartment I got, the more of a bounce was in my step. Walking out of the apartment, I got into the taxi that had showed up and gave him the address to the coffee shop before resting my head back on the seat. Only 5.5 miles between me and Spencer.

It was the longest 7 minutes of my life. When the coffee shop came into view, butterflies started up in my stomach like they just took speed. The taxi stopping and paying the driver seemed to go in slow motion. I stepped out of the car and took a deep breath, counting the steps it took me to get to the door. The chill of the evening air couldn't faze me, my eyes and my attention was focused on the door of the shop. Just as I was reaching the door my phone rang. I pulled it out of my purse and hit the talk button.

“Hello?”

“Olivia! You need to go back home.” Spencer sounded frantic.

“Spencer? What do you mean? I'm already here.” I glanced into the shop and tried to figure out which one was him. I could see a man with longer light brown hair with a cell phone up to his ear. Maybe that was him?

“I think your stalker is here. You need to go back home.” his voice had lowered until it was barely a whisper.

The breath stalled in my throat. This couldn't be happening. I was so close to him, maybe 15 feet away and this stalker decided to come between us again.

“Spencer...”

“Go! I'll call you later. Please Olivia.” 

I turned on my heel and walked quickly, getting back into the taxi that was still sitting there.

“Bring me back home.” I said to the driver.

“I'm sorry.” I whispered to Spencer, before hanging up the phone and wiping the tears that had gathered on my cheeks.


	4. Spencer

Spencer was not a violent, nor an angry man. Nevertheless, as he hung up the phone and stared at the dark haired man sitting in the corner booth of the coffee shop, he swore he saw red. Not in reality, but he understood first hand now where the saying came from. He stood up quietly and began walking over to the booth. As he was about to start asking the man questions, he was pushed aside by who must of been the man's friend who then sat down, greeting the dark haired man. The way the man had been looking over his shoulder every few minutes and glancing at Spencer had made him come to the conclusion that this may be Olivia's stalker. But clearly, he was wrong. The man was most likely looking at him because Spencer was staring at him.

He sighed and turned around to leave. His skill of profiling people was good for the field and cases, but in his personal life, it sometimes caused him to read people wrong. He was so worried about having Olivia meet him in public, that he ended up scaring her away by being too paranoid. Leaving the coffee shop, he walked into the parking lot and got into his car, rubbing his eyes once his door was shut. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain the mistake to her, but his resolve had strengthened to convince her to stay with him. He was due some time off from the BAU and this would be the perfect reason to take it. That way, he could protect her. He just wasn't sure if she would take to the idea. She hadn't seemed too enthralled by it when he had brought it up in their earlier conversation.

He figured she didn't live far, so before he pulled out of the parking lot to go home, he pulled out his cell phone and called her. 

“Hi.” Olivia answered, but her voice was quiet and thick.

“Are you home?” Spencer asked. “Are you safe?” he was desperate to know that she had arrived back home.

She sniffled. “Yeah. I just got back.”

He heaved a sigh of relief. “Good.”

“Spence...” she started.

“Give me your address.” 

“My address? Why?”

“Because I'm coming to get you.” Spencer was getting anxious. The only way he would feel better was if she would let him go get her. “Please. Pack a bag, and let me come get you.”

“B-but. Spence...” she stammered. “I can't. I can't let this guy find you.”

“Olivia, I made a mistake. I don't think that was your stalker.”

“Well, then can't we just stick to our original plan?”

“Can you try not being stubborn for 10 minutes.” his fear was making him lose patience.

“Okay.” her voice was small.

“Plea-” he stopped. “Wait. Did you just say okay?” a smile crossed his face. “What's your address?”  
She gave him an address that was less than 10 minutes away. He wiped his palms on his legs before turning on the car and driving as quickly as possible. It took everything in his power to not break every speed law around, nor to sprint out of the car and up to her apartment when he arrived. He took a calming breath, got out of his car and walked up to the apartment number that Olivia had given him.

Something felt off as he walked through the hallway. Spencer couldn't place a finger on it, but as he got to her apartment he realized what was wrong. Olivia's door was wide open. He knew she would never leave her door open.

Spencer crept up to the door. He never carried his gun when he was on personal time, so he resorted to following every other step of clearing a home. He walked into a disaster. The coffee table was a pile of splinters on her living room floor. It looked like someone had been pushed into it. Her laptop was open flat on the floor with the screen cracked almost in two. Books were scattered all in front of the bookshelves as if someone had thrown into it. Checking every room to see if anyone was there came up with nothing.

The last room he checked was her bedroom, and when he realized no one was there, he sank to the floor with his back against her bed. He covered his face with his hands, an consuming numb coming over him. The only option was to go to his team. They had to help her.

\---

Spencer walked into the office, past all of his coworkers and straight into Hotch's office. He shut the door behind him, his nerves making him jittery.

“Reid.” His boss greeted, closing the file that he was reading. “I thought you were taking some time off today?”

“Hotch, I need your help.” Spencer tried to keep his voice from shaking as he explained as much as he could to his boss. He could remember everything, but the brain had a tendency to skip over things during times of high stress.

“Why didn't you tell us about Olivia before?” the older man asked.

Spencer ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his face. “She didn't want me to. She wanted to wait this guy out. And I wasn't ready to tell anyone about our relationship. I thought you would think I was foolish for meeting someone online.”

“I understand, but Reid, you know these types of situations very rarely just stop on their own.”

“I know, I explained this to her many times, but she wouldn't hear it.” he explained. He was starting to feel as if he didn't do enough to stress the severity of the situation.

“Do you know her last name? Or what she looks like? Or anything that could identify her?” Hotch inquired. The frown was deepening on his face.

“No. No. And I know she was a librarian before she started getting stalked.” Spencer tried to not get emotional, but he could feel his eyes burning and his voice started cracking. “Please, Hotch. You have to find her.”

Hotch stood up. “Alright, let's get everyone into the conference room.”

A few minutes later, Spencer was standing in front of his colleagues pleading for their help. Hotch offered them all an out, explaining that this would have to be done on personal time since it was not technically a case. Spencer smiled weakly as one after another all his colleagues nodded and said they were helping no matter what.

“Thank you.” Spencer whispered. 

Penelope walked over to him and placed a kind hand on his arm. “We'll find her, Spencer. We'll bring her back to you.” she hugged him and he thanked her, before she ran to get her laptop and equipment.

“Spencer, why don't you give me her address and Alex and I will head over to her apartment to see if we can figure anything out?” Morgan suggested. Spencer gave him Olivia's address and apartment number and they left to go check it out.

Hotch looked at Spencer. “You know you can't really be a part of this investigation. Technically, you're a witness. JJ will go through everything with you to see if you missed any details.”

Spencer looked at Hotch with a disbelieving look. “Do you really think I forgot details? I don't forget anything. I can remember every conversation I ever had with her.”

“That's not what I meant. She may have revealed more than you think.” he looked pointedly at him. “Talk through it with JJ. Penelope is going to start looking up whatever she can. Rossi, can you come with me?” he asked the older man still sitting at the table. They nodded their goodbye.

JJ turned to Spencer. “Alright, you know how this works.”

Spencer nodded. A normal witness interview. Don't put too much pressure on the person, ask specific questions to start a dialogue and let them remember.

“We'll start easy. What was the first conversation you two had about her stalker?” she asked gently, her voice taking on the calming 'speaking to victims' voice.

Spencer recalled that conversation. It was a few days after they had started talking. He revealed to her the reason for his drug addiction, and she told his that she was being stalked for 6 months.

Many of the questions were the same, and him and JJ spoke for a good hour. Nothing much new was learned about the stalker, and Spencer was feeling helpless until Penelope walked into the conference room with Hotch and Rossi following soon behind.

“Spencer!” her eyes were wide and she was shaking excitedly. “I found her. I mean, I didn't find where she is right at this second, I may or you may need more time before that happens. I mean, I'm good, but I'm not that good. But...” she paused. “I'm rambling, I always ramble.”

Everyone was looking at her blankly. 

“Penelope.” Hotch said in a warning tone.

She shook her head. “Olivia Iris Cornell. Daughter of Jackson and Elisa Cornell. She is, or was, until she took a leave, a librarian at a local University. She worked there for 6 years after graduating from that same University as an English major. She went on leave a year ago for 'personal reasons' which we now know is her stalker.” Penelope took a deep breath.

Spencer sunk deeper into his chair. Penelope had found more information about Olivia in an hour than he had gathered about her in the entire 10 months of conversations. He was lost in thought while Hotch instructed Rossi and JJ to go to the University to talk to Olivia's coworkers. They were hoping that the coworkers may have seen someone that had taken an interest in her.

Penelope spoke to him, her voice gentle. “Spencer, I, Um, I have a picture of her. Do you want to see?”

As much as Spencer wanted to say yes, as much as he wanted to see her, he felt like it was an invasion of privacy. It felt as if he'd be betraying her if he saw her without her seeing him. He shook his head sadly before standing up. “No. No, I don't.”

He turned on his heel and was about to leave the room when Hotch received a phone call.

“Hotch.” he answered gruffly. The next few minutes were 'uhhuh's and okay's before he hung up and turned to Spencer. “That was Morgan. Spencer, we may have something.”


	5. Olivia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings isn't usually something I use often, however, this chapter is a little gruesome.   
> So, warning for swearing, blood, knives, and descriptions of cutting/cuts, hints towards rape(but no rape actually happens)

There was a terrible throbbing radiating from the back of my head. I tried to open my eyes, and even though I was sure they were open, I still couldn't see anything. I realized, after a moment, that there was cloth over my eyes. I was sitting in a hard chair with my hands bound behind my back. All I could smell was mustiness, like an old shed or a basement. Certainly somewhere that wasn't occupied often. I moved my head from side to side, trying to see if I could hear anything.

There was a low chuckle from in front of me. “So Ms. Cornell finally decided to join the world of the living. How's your head, Olivia?” 

The way he said my name made a shiver of fear run down my back. “Who are you?” I asked, not recognizing the voice.

“All of the conversations we had and you don't recognize the sound of my voice. I thought I was your favorite?” the slimy voice asked.

“Did I talk to you at the library?” I inquired. The more I got this guy to talk, the less he hurt me. Or, at least, that's how I hoped this would go. I heard footsteps coming closer.

“Of course it was at the library. We had such a connection, you and I. I thought we really hit it off. But every time I would try to pursue something with you, you shot me down.” the man growled.

I wracked my brain, trying to think of anyone who was ever inappropriate with me. There was one name that came to mind, but if I was wrong, it could be a deadly mistake. I took a deep breath. “Wyatt?”

The blindfold was pulled off and I came face to face with Wyatt Borden. He was a university student studying technology at the school I worked at. He was nearing 6 foot, standing tall above my 5”4 height, with a normally kind face and black hair. We had always had nice, platonic conversations. He would be the last person that I ever suspected.

He sneered. “Correct.”

“But... why?” I asked. My lip trembled despite my efforts of trying not to show fear.

He leaned in, his face a mere inch from mine. Close enough that I could smell stale coffee and cigarettes on his breath. “Because you never gave me the time of day. You were always distracted. I loved you, Olivia. And you wouldn't allow us to be together, so I had to force your hand a little bit.” he chuckled darkly.

I tried to steady my breathing. “Wyatt, it's against policy for me to have any sort of romantic or non-school related relationship with any student. You know this.”

“Oh, so that's your excuse! So those glances you were shooting me from across the room? The smiles? That was platonic?”

This guy was certifiable. There was no way I ever led him on. I had to be friendly to everyone, I worked in a library for God's sake. My mouth gaped. “I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, Wyatt, but any interaction we had was strictly platonic. I-” I was cut off by a sharp slap that I swear rattled my teeth. My eyes watered.

“No! No!” he hollered. He paced away from me, gripping his hair. “You led me on and now you have to pay.” he stalked back over to me, pulled a wickedly sharp knife out of a sheath hooked to the side of his jeans. “If I can't have you, I'll make sure no one ever wants you. Not even that nerdy Doctor that was waiting for you at the coffee shop.”

“No. Please.” I stammered, as he cut the fabric away from my arm. A searing pain snapped everything into focus as he sliced down and into the skin he had just revealed. I screamed, knowing it wouldn't help, but needing some sort of release from the pain. I could feel the blood running down my arm in what felt like waves.

“I wonder if your Doctor will want you all sliced up? Maybe I'll make sure that he receives some pieces of you when I'm done.” the way he spoke was grimy, I could tell he was enjoying every part of this.

I gasped for air as he cut the other sleeve. I only had a moment of reprieve before another searing cut was marked into my skin. I pleaded with him, but he was intent on what he was doing. He pulled the knife from my arm and ran the bloody edge down my right cheek and the side of my neck before starting another slice following the line of my collar bone.

“Please!” I screamed, a sob garbling the sound and he just laughed in response. “I'll do anything you want. Please, just stop.”

He eyed me curiously for a moment, before looking back at the door of the garage. He put the knife back in the sheath and replaced the blindfold over my eyes. I was expecting this to be the end, that he didn't want to look at me as he finally succumbed to killing me. After a moment or two of silence, I heard him walk away and slam a door shut.

I tilted my head back. I didn't see any possible way out of this. Spencer had been on his way to my apartment when Wyatt had walked in to my apartment and smashed me over the back of the head as my back was turned. The false sense of security that I felt with thinking that the stalking had stopped and the imminent arrival of Spencer had caused me to unlock the door while I waited. I had never been so disappointed with myself. I let my guard down for all of 10 minutes and I got kidnapped.

Time ticked by and every little creak and noise made me jump. I lost track of time after the first 20 minutes of trying to count. Being blinded in a place you'd never been before was a hard thing to handle. My body was starting to heat and sweat as the damage to my arms and chest registered. The wounds had reverted to a persistent ache and only sent sharp pains shooting through me if I moved. I could feel the blood starting to dry on my skin, leaving a dirty, sticky feeling wherever it touched. I heard creaking coming towards the door that Wyatt had left out of and my entire body tensed in preparation.

“Aren't you being a good little captive.” Wyatt remarked sarcastically as he walked over to me. “Ready for a little more?”

I shook my head wildly, “Please, no. Wyatt, I need to see a doctor. Please no more.”

“Always with the doctor.” he laughed. “Your doctor can't help you now, Bitch.”

I could feel the cold blade of the knife back on my skin, this time on the other side of my chest. He started above my left breast and sliced a line the followed the curve. I clenched my jaw tightly, trying not to scream, but pathetic whimpers escaped my mouth.

“Oh, come on, Olivia. Let me hear those wonderful sounds. No one can hear you. Just let it out.” he laughed sadistically.

Tears were streaming down my face. “G-go fu-uck yourself, you sadistic p-prick.” I bit out, gritting my teeth.

Another slap sent pain radiating across my face and down my neck. “You're going to have to learn to talk nicer to me, Darling. This will go so much better if you just cooperate.” he ran the back of his hand down the side of my burning face and I winced away from his touch. “Fine.” he snarled. “If you prefer the knife to my touch, that's what you'll get.” 

I felt him lift the bottom of my shirt before another slice of pain through the bottom of my abdomen. This one was deeper than the others and the intense pain made me double over as much as possible with my arms anchored to the chair behind me.

“You know, there's so much funner things we can do if you'd prefer to let me touch you.” he ran a finger from the wound on my stomach, across my right hip and down my thigh. 

I pulled myself back, my leg jerking up. “No!” I screamed. “Stay away from me!” I could survive and maybe get past the cuts and scars, but for what he had in mind, I didn't think I would have the strength to recover from.

“All in due time, Darling. We have plenty of time to spend together.” he ran the knife back down my arm, nicking the skin periodically, but nowhere near as deep as the first few cuts. I winced and pulled away and he moved on to my other arm.

When he was finally through with whatever cruel routine he had decided to do, he stood up, kissed me on the forehead and walked back out of the room. My whole body ached in ways I never imagined possible. All the little nicks and cuts on my skin burned like they were on fire. My eyes were getting heavy and my head was nodding. Oddly, I thought I heard Spencer's voice. I mumbled his name to myself. I figured it was some sort of hallucination.

Wyatt ran into the room and untied me. Pulling me up against his chest, I felt something cold press against my temple. “Don't make a sound and maybe you'll get through this.” he said angrily. He walked backwards towards the back of the room we were in, his arm tight across my chest.

My eyes were still covered, and I jumped at what sounded like the walls of the house being bulldozed. 

“FBI! Wyatt Borden, drop your weapon and step away from Olivia.” a deep voice boomed. There was a chorus of people yelling 'drop the gun.' 

And all Wyatt did was laugh.


	6. Spencer

The sight in front of him almost brought Spencer to his knees. He could feel his chest constrict as he focused the sight of his gun on the dark haired man from the coffee shop. Olivia was pulled tight against the mans chest, covered in cuts and bruises with her clothes nearly in tatters around her.

Spencer inched closer to them. Morgan was trying to talk him down, but with 5 guns pointing at him from various spots in the room, the negotiation was not going to work. 

“Wyatt, you don't need to do this.” Morgan said urgently. “Killing her isn't going to make anything go away.”

The man looked frantic and pressed the barrel of the gun harder into Olivia's temple. “Stay back or I blow out her brains. Do you want to see her brain spread across the room?” Wyatt looked around until his eyes landed on Spencer. A smirk crossed his face. “Look who it is! It's the good Doctor himself. How does it feel to know that I have your little slut?”

Spencer raised the hand holding the gun in a motion of surrender. “Wyatt, you really don't want to do this. I thought you loved her.” he heard Olivia's small gasp at the sound of his voice. He wished he could see her eyes so he could beg her to stay calm.

“I do love her, you idiot.” he seemed to want to prove something to Spencer. “Does it bother you that I've seen all this?” Wyatt asked as he waved the gun in front of Olivia's abdomen before lifting up her shirt almost up to her chest, taunting him.

Spencer could hardly contain his facial expressions as he noticed the deep wound just below her belly button. That paired with the wounds on her arms and chest, no wonder she looked so weak. He should've been able to judge by the amount of blood staining the concrete around the chair that she was clearly tied to and the remnants of her clothes.

“If you love her, you have to let her go. This is not the way to be with her.” Spencer was nearly pleading. “You see how much blood she's lost. She needs to go to a hospital so she doesn't bleed out.” he purposely avoided the word 'doctor', gathering that Wyatt had a problem with Spencer and his doctorates.

“You don't know anything. She belongs to me, not to you!” Wyatt's voice was dead calm, which worried Spencer more than if he had been hollering. “You'll never have her.”

As if in slow motion, Spencer saw Wyatt's arm start to raise to his own temple, his head in perfect alignment to Olivia. “Wait! No! Olivia, duck!” he hollered before the sound of a gun going off split the room. He saw the two people in front of him slump to the floor and he stared with his mouth open. 

He ran over and pushed Wyatt's body off of Olivia. He couldn't see any blood around her head or hair, and when she was free of Wyatt she struggled to sit up. “Hold on, Olivia.” he whispered quietly, relief flooding through him. Spencer pulled her close to him and cradled her to his chest. She was whimpering, but calmed quickly. 

“Spencer?” she asked softly.

He nodded, but then remembered that she couldn't see. “Yes, it's me.” He rubbed his hand gently over her back. “I'm going to take the blindfold off, but be careful, the light might be too much to bear. I don't know how long you've been blindfolded.”

She nodded weakly and he gently untied the blindfold. The sight of her eyes, wide open and clear, nearly brought him to tears. He ran a hand gently down her uninjured cheek before cupping her face in both palms and peppering her forehead and the bridge of her nose with soft kisses.

He noticed tears starting to fall down down her face and realized, again, the state that she was in. “I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.” he said quickly. “You need to see a doctor.” Spencer looked over his shoulder at his team. “Do we have medics out there?” he asked.

“I'm o-okay. I think.” Olivia mumbled. Spencer smiled at her and stroked her cheek, careful of any bruising or marks that marred her features.

The team was staring at the two people on the floor, with no idea on how to react to this completely different side of Spencer. 

“Uh, yeah. Morgan, can you get the paramedics in here?” Rossi asked,

Spencer just sat holding Olivia, murmuring calmly to her until the paramedics arrived. He was hesitant to walk away, but after a firm command from the EMTs, he begrudgingly gave them room to help her. He hovered close by, not taking his eyes off of the woman that was now being strapped into a stretcher. As they were wheeling her by, her hand reached out and gently wrapped around his wrist. 

“Can you come with me?” she asked. He noticed her hands were shaking and there was no way he could deny such a pleading request. He looked to Hotch, who nodded and the EMT agreed.

“Give me a call later.” Hotch called after him as he stepped into the ambulance.

He wasn't able to speak to her, just hold her hand while the EMT worked. She was strapped with tubing replenishing fluids and a cannula, giving her oxygen, but her eyes were glued to him and he returned her gaze. He committed every line, every mark, every curve of her face to memory. He had known that he would find her beautiful when he finally met her, but she was like nothing he could of ever conjured with his imagination. He followed the soft curve of her jaw up to the bow shape of her mouth, her bottom lip just slightly fuller than the top, to her small nose then finally to the big blue eyes that he didn't want to stop staring into. Even the swelling and the bruising on her cheek could not mar her face, nor could the slight split in her bottom lip. She was so pale, but he wasn't sure if that was her complexion or from blood loss.

She was looking at him curiously and he stopped his observations in order to smile at her lightly. He mouthed 'sorry' to her, causing her to smile at him, before wincing at the tugging on her lip. He spent the rest of the trip trying to avert his eyes from her so he wouldn't cause any more reactions that would hurt her.

He was asked to stay behind in the waiting room when they arrived at the hospital. They had to check her over and also see if Wyatt had sexually assaulted her. He prayed that it hadn't gotten that far. No one should have to endure such a torture. He sat anxiously in one of the chairs, his knee bouncing with nerves. The EMT seemed to think that she would be okay and the bastard that did this took his own life, which was much too good of an outcome for him. Spencer almost wished that Wyatt would rot in jail for the rest of the foreseeable future. But in the end, it came to the same thing. Olivia was safe, and as soon as she was cleared by the hospital, he was bringing her back to his place. Whether for good or just until she was healed, he didn't know.

Spencer pulled a book from his bag and read for what seemed like forever. He was just finishing his second book when the doctor came out and caught his attention.

“Are you here for Olivia Cornell?” she asked.

He nodded, standing up. “Yes. How is she?”

The doctor hesitated. “Are you family?” 

He hesitated for a second as he thought up a suitable excuse. “I am her boyfriend and also one of the FBI agents that found her.”

She nodded. “Okay. Well, as you can tell, Olivia lost a lot of blood which required us to give her some donor blood to replenish her body's supply. She needed quite a few stitches for cuts and staples for the gash on her abdomen. She had a cut on her head, a mild concussion and some abrasions on her wrists from the bindings. But, she should be ready to go home after another couple IV bags of antibiotics and a couple meals.” she smiled at him and put her hand on his shoulder. “She'll need a lot of healing, both physically and mentally over the next little while, but you found her just in time. She's very lucky.”

The doctor got up to leave and Spencer stopped her. “Was she.. uh. Was there any signs of...” he had a hard time getting the words out.

She shook her head. “No. No signs of any sexual assault.”

He sighed in relief. “Can I see her?”

She nodded and pointed him in the direction of her room.

When he walked into her room, she was sleeping. Spencer pulled up a chair and positioned it right next to her bed. Reaching out, he took her hand in his and rested his forehead on her arm. He wasn't moving until she woke up.

He felt guilty that they didn't get to her faster. The lead that Derek had called about ended up being a dead end, but it was what Rossi and JJ found at the University that helped track her down. When JJ questioned some of the workers and students in the library, they discovered that there was a man that would sit in the library for hours and stare at Olivia. They didn't know the man's name, but one of the witnesses happened to know where his locker was. When they opened it, they found pictures of Olivia posted all over the inside with nasty messages pinned up with them like some sort of odd shrine. Using a student ID that was left in the locker, they were able to get Penelope to run him through the system and found out that he had multiple restraining orders from many different women and minor assault charges.

Wyatt was an extremely sick man who was classified as an Intimacy Seeker. He had the delusion that Olivia was in love with him and then when she rejected him, that's when the letters and emails started. It was a long road for her, but it was over. Finally.

“Spencer?” Olivia's quiet voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He lifted his head and smiled at her broadly.

“Hi”


	7. Olivia

After the doctor looked me over, set up the antibiotics and put more stitches and staples in me than I can count, the only thing I could think about was sleep. When I finally got a reprieve from the poking, I fell asleep quickly. I dreamt about Wyatt, but then the dream changed and all I heard was Spencer's voice. The way he was staring at me in the ambulance was one of the most intimate things I ever experienced in my life. I had never had anyone inspect me so closely before.

When I woke up, there was a slight pressure on my hand and arm. I looked down to see a mop of messy brown hair. I smiled slightly, watching him for a moment before speaking.

“Spencer?” I voice raspy, my throat was raw from screaming so much.

He looked up at me and the smile that crossed his face was enough to make me mirror the smile. “Hi.”

I looked him over, wondering how I could be so lucky to have such a sweet man as a friend and potentially more. I was staring at him, maybe a bit too long under normal circumstances. I watched his expression change from happiness to confusion and then slowly to something that looked like sadness. I mentally kicked myself, he must of thought that I was trying to decide if I thought he was attractive or not.

I lifted the hand that he was holding, untangling it gently and placed my hand on the side of his face. I stared at him another moment longer watching him nuzzle my hand lightly and place a kiss at the palm. “Spencer.”

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion.

“I wasn't lying that day.” I could see his brain working through all of our conversations trying to think of the one that I was referencing. I blushed slightly. “I love you.”

His eyes widened. “I-I love you too, Olivia.” he leaned closer to me and brushed his lips gently against mine. It was a mere whisper of a kiss that I tried to increase the pressure of, but he pulled back slightly. I could tell he was concerned about hurting me, but it felt like the warmth from his kiss was defrosting my body. My hand slid across his cheek and rested at his neck.

He pulled back after a moment, leaving my lips tingling. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't of done that so soon after...” he trailed off, looking sheepishly down at the bed spread.

I ran my thumb over the side of his neck. “Spencer. I'm okay. I'm hurting, but I'm okay.” and it was true. Maybe the emotion would hit me later, maybe it wouldn't. I was just so relieved to be with Spencer and to know that the stalker thing was done. The doctor had told me that Wyatt was dead, that he came into the hospital and went straight down to the morgue. It was like a huge weight was lifted off of me. I never thought that I'd ever be actually happy with someone dying. I guess there's an exception for everything.

“Oh, should I get the doctor to give you some pain medicine?” he asked, his eyes searching for the call button.

I should my head, “I already got some the last time she was in. Really Spence, I'm fine.”

He sighed and I could see the tension releasing from his posture. “I'm just worried, you need so much time to heal. The doctor told me that you were pretty close to being much more serious.”

I shivered. “Yeah, she told me the same thing. But now I'm just going to have a ton of nasty scars that's going to severely limit my choices of clothing.”

His eyes flicked over to mine. “You're beautiful no matter what.”

I rolled my eyes slightly. Yeah, that's because he hadn't seen the full damage of that sadistic bastards knife skills. Deciding to drop the subject, I chose a happier thing to ask. “So, when do I get to go home?”

“A few months.” he stated.

I sat up straighter in the bed. “What the hell do you mean a few months? They're not going to keep me in here for a few cuts and a concussion for a few months!” I was starting to panic a little, I hated hospitals so much.

“Oh, from the hospital you leave maybe tonight, but most likely tomorrow. But I'm not letting you out of my sight, so you're staying with me.”Always wording with this guy.

“Spence, you really don't need to do that. I'll be fine at home.” I explained.

He shook his head. “Nope, not happening. You're stuck with me at least until every cut is fully healed inside and out.”

I laughed, hmm, protective Spencer. I could get used to this. “Fine. I won't fight you on this. But you're not going to want to stay with me that long. I promise. I can be pretty stubborn.”

“Trust me, I know.” his response seemed slightly frustrated and I cringed, pulling my hand away from him.

“I'm sorry, Spence.” I whispered quietly. “If I would of just gotten you to pick me up, this never would of happened.”

He sighed and took my hand again, placing it back on the side of his neck but this time, with his hand resting over it. “Olivia, honestly, that's not what I meant. I was more referencing our conversations about chess, books and TV shows. You are not to blame for that guy. Okay?”

I tried to swallow my tears, but one escaped but I nodded anyways. “Thank you for finding me, Spencer. Actually, thanks to your entire team.”

He wiped my cheek before responding. “You don't even have to thank us. Not that it's a situation I ever want to be put in again, but this is what I do for a living. I'm just not normally so emotionally connected.” he explained it so matter-of-fact that I couldn't help but grin.

All the talking and emotions of the day we're catching up to me again, and I yawned widely, covering my mouth quickly with my other hand. 

“You need to sleep.” Spencer insisted.

I nodded in agreement, but stopped just short of closing my eyes. “You won't leave me, right?” I knew I sounded pathetic, but I needed him there.

He shook his head. “If this bed was bigger I'd be in it with you.” he blushed. “But, uh, you sleep, I'll be right here.”

“Thanks Spence.”

“You're welcome, Beautiful. I love you.”

I yawned. “Love you too.” I mumbled before finally succumbing to the sleep my body needed.

\----

I woke up to Spencer whispering to someone. Cracking my eyes open I was shocked to see my parents standing at the foot of the bed. My mother was holding Spencer's hand, her eyes red rimmed and my father was standing at the picture window on the other side of the bed.

“Mom? Dad?” I whispered. It had been almost a year since I had seen them in person. “How did you know where I was?” I asked, as they rushed over to me.

Spencer had moved back from the bed and my mother leaned over me to hug me. “Agent Hotchner called us while you were missing, and when they found you we came over as fast as possible. How are you feeling, Honey?”

I glanced at my father, then back to her. “I'm alright, Mom.”

She brushed the hair away from my face. “I'm so happy this is over.”

My father smiled at me and sat on the edge of my bed. “They filled us in on what happened. I don't want you working at that library anymore.” he said firmly.

“Dad, you realize that it's not where I was, it's just who I came across right?” my father had a very stubborn streak, and avoiding certain places because something happened was a habit he got into.

“I know.” he sighed. “I'm just happy you're okay.” he leaned down closer and shot a pointed look towards Spencer, who was sitting in one of the chairs at the far end of the room. “Do I have to worry about this guy?” he asked,

“Mom, Dad, this is Doctor Spencer Reid. I've been talking to him for sometime now, and he is also one of the FBI agents that rescued me.” I gestured to Spencer to come over to me and I took his hand.

My father raised his eyebrow. “Hm. A doctor.” he grumbled

Spencer nodded politely to the both of them before looking at me. “They just got here a few minutes before you woke up, so I didn't have time to introduce myself.”

I smiled, I felt so much better now. I had my parents and Spencer, even thought my father seemed less than impressed with the young doctor but I'd deal with that later. The only thing I wanted to do now was go home.

My mother shot a quick look at my father before smiling back at me. “Well, honey, we're going to go. Call us when you get home, okay? We'll make plans to have dinner soon.”

They both hugged me and left. Leaving me with a grinning Spencer.

“What?” I asked.

“You're seeing this so logically.” he came back over to my bedside and took my hand. “I'm very proud of you, you're so strong.”

I laughed. “Spencer, it's terrifying. I'm not going to lie, but it's not like he's roaming around right? He killed himself, and almost me.” I shuddered. “I moved just in time because of you. You saved my life.”

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Alright, so I'm going to go see if I can get you out of here and bring you back to my place.”

“What about my stuff? I'll need clothes and stuff from my apartment.”

“I kind of already took care of that. I got Penelope to go stuff from your place, I hope that's alright.” he shrugged. “I figured it'd make things a little easier.”

I wasn't overly happy with someone I didn't know going through my apartment and my underwear drawer, but I nodded anyways. “That's fine.”

Spencer left the room, leaving me to doze again while I waited for him to come back.


	8. Spencer

When Spencer got back to the waiting area, he called Hotch and let him know what was going on. Hotch insisted that Spencer take the vacation time he's been stock piling so he and Olivia could settle in at home. He was hesitant to do so, considering the amount of cases that were open with people like Olivia getting hurt, but he knew he had to focus on her right then.

Hanging up the phone, he quickly called Garcia before tracking down the doctor to get approval for her to be released. He signed the discharge papers for her, which thankfully the doctor allowed, and walked quickly back to her room.

He opened the door quietly, seeing her dozing in the bed. There was a tray of food sitting next to the bed that must of been brought by the hospital staff. 

“Hey.” he said softly, as he walked over to her.

She rubbed her eyes gently and smiled. “So what's the verdict? Do I get to leave?”

Spencer nodded. “Yep. I filled out the discharge paperwork for you, but you should probably eat something.” he motioned to the tray of food.

“Gross, hospital food.” she eyed the tray of odd looking food warily. “Can't I just eat later?”

Spencer chuckled. “We have to wait until Garcia, Penelope, gets here with your clothing, anyways. Unless you want to leave in the hospital gown. Your clothes are still in evidence.”

Olivia huffed and started picking at a fruit cup that was on the tray. “Want something?” she asked, and Spencer grabbed the Jello off the tray.

“Thanks. I love this stuff.” 

By the time Penelope showed up with a bag full of clothes, Spencer could tell that Olivia was getting antsy. She had barely picked at her food, but was keeping good conversation with him. The nurses had finally come to unhook her from the IV which seemed to make her feel better.

“Alright, love birds, I come bearing clothing and gifts.” Penelope said, walking in the room with her hands filled with bags and a tray of coffee. “I didn't know what you took in your coffee, Olivia, so I just brought you a hot chocolate.”

She handed a cup to Olivia, who thanked her, and then to Spencer.

Penelope lifted the bag up on the bed. “Here's your clothes, shampoo, and other bathroom stuff. By the way, remind me to take you shopping for cute clothes when you're better. All your clothes are such dull colors.”

Olivia was a little taken a back, but then, after studying Garcia for a second, she understood and nodded. “I'll think about that.”

“I'm just happy you're okay.” Penelope smiled broadly and hugged the both of them before leaving them.

“Hey, Spencer?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Can you leave so I can dress and get out of here?” Olivia asked, a slight tint to her cheeks.

Spencer blushed before pointing to the door. “Oh. Yeah. Privacy. I'll just be, uh, right outside.” 

He left quickly to give her some privacy, but refused to go far. He stood with his back against the wall in front of her hospital room and pulled a book out to read, sipping on his coffee between page turns. It was only a few minutes before Olivia walked out wearing sweat pants, a tank top and a zip up sweater, and carrying the bags the Penelope brought as well as the coffee cup. He walked over and took the bags from her, leaving her with just the cup.

“You know I can carry stuff, Spence.” she said, rolling her eyes. “I'm cut up, not broken.”

“Not necessary, I got it.” he arranged her bag over his shoulder as they made their way out of the hospital.

It wasn't long before they got back to Spencer's apartment building. Spencer taking extra care on bumps and turns to make sure that Olivia didn't get jostled too much. He helped her out of the car and carefully up to his apartment. By the time they got upstairs, Olivia was laughing at him.

“What?”

“Spencer, seriously. I'm fine. I'm not super sore, I just want to take a shower and then a nap.” she said, reaching over and grabbing his hand.

He looked down at their entwined fingers and then back to her face before dropping the bags he still held and pulling her gently over to him to wrap his other arm loosely around her. “Sorry. I'm being a little paranoid.”

She sighed as she returned his gentle hug. “Yeah, I know.” she pulled away from him. “But seriously. Shower? I smell like a basement, a hospital and blood. It's not pleasant.”

“Sure.” He led her over to the bathroom, grabbing a towel out of the closet and bringing her the toiletries bag, before leaving her to her own devices. He saw her eyeing the full length mirror down the back of the bathroom door, and he figured she wanted to check out the damage for herself. In the clothing she was currently wearing, you could just see the top of the bandage from the cut on her breast and you could see the bandage on her collar bone, but he knew that there were many more cuts and wounds.

He sat in the chair closest to the bathroom door to finish his game of chess while he waited. He had started a game a few nights ago, and the board was still set up on the little table.

He hadn't been there long before he heard what sounded like sniffling over the sound of the shower. It was only when he got closer that he realized it was full out sobbing.

Knocking on the door, he called to her. “Olivia? Are you alright.”

He didn't get a response. “Olivia? You need to let me know your okay. I'm not good at breaking down doors, but I'll try.”

The door creaked open and Olivia's tear stained face peaked out at him. “I'm okay. Just give me a minute.”

“Are you sure? Why are you crying?”

She stepped back and opened the door wider. Spencer realized then what had caused the issue. She had undressed partially, taking off her sweater, shoes and socks before removing all the bandages except the one on her stomach, which the doctors recommended keeping on for the next day. The skin on her arms was littered with cuts and bruises, turning the skin from its normal pale tone to an inflamed red. Her chest was much the same, swollen from the larger cuts and bruised all around it. Her face was still pretty swollen, but the cut on her lip looked better. The marks around her wrists still looked raw, but he knew that they would heal the quickest.

“Spencer, they look awful.” she sobbed, holding her arms out to her sides.

Walking closer to her, he smiled gently. “I know. It's kind of hard to see. But at your age and with your skin type, they'll heal well and you're less likely to scar.”

“I'll have to wear long sleeved and high necked tops for the rest of my life.”

He reached out to pull her over to him. “Olivia, it's a few marks on your skin. I'll repeat what I said at the hospital, you look beautiful regardless.” he lifted her hand to press a kiss to the back, before kissing her forehead. “Are you okay?”

She nodded feebly and he figured that it would take more convincing, which he would work on. His lips brushed hers gently before he motioned for her to finish undressing so she could shower. “I'll be in the living room. Call if you need anything. I'll order some real food and then we can watch a movie or something,” 

“Okay.”

Spencer stepped slowly into the living room, hovering around the bathroom door until he was sure he didn't hear any more sobbing. If he needed to, he would spend as much time possible reminding her that she was beautiful. The scars on her skin didn't affect the person she was, it couldn't. She was too sweet, too caring.

He shook his head and found a take out menu from a Chinese food restaurant that delivered. He ordered her favorite, something they had discussed at lengths during one of their many conversations and then sat on the couch to look for something to watch on the television screen mounted between his bookshelves.

Just as he was settling on an old sitcom he knew she liked, he heard the bathroom door open again.

“Er, Spence?” she called shyly to him. 

He went over to her, surprised and slightly embarrassed that she was standing in the bathroom door a strip of fabric away from naked, her long hair dripping, leaving wet spots on the towel that she had wrapped around her. Her hand was gripping the towel at her chest where the two sides overlapped. “Uh, yeah?”

“I-I need my clothes.” her face was flushed and wasn't sure it was from the hot water of the shower.

He brought her the bag and pointed to his bedroom down the hallway. “You can go change in there if you'd like.”

She nodded and took the bag from him. He watched her until she shut the door behind her and then went back to wait for their food to arrive.


	9. Olivia

I shut the door behind me and leaned my back against it. Showering had been more uncomfortable than I thought, the spray from the shower irritating my already raw skin. The most uncomfortable thing though, was fully being able to see the wreckage that was my body. Spencer's gentle words were comforting, but I didn't see how this was going to heal well. Especially the cut on my stomach. It was so deep that it required multiple staples to close.

I sighed as I placed my bag on Spencer's bed. Digging through it, I tried to find the clothes that would cover the most but unfortunately Penelope seemed to enjoy clothing that showed a little more skin or required layering. I put on a tank top with a built in bra, some underwear and a pair of loose fitting pyjama bottoms before looking for a sweater but the only one she packed was hanging on the back of Spencer's bathroom door reeking of the hospital.

Trying to gain up the nerves to go back out to the living room, I took a long time brushing out my hair. Spencer had already seen everything but it still made me nervous to actually walk out to see him without bandages or a sweater.

It took until I heard the door open and shut from what I assumed was the take out, for me to finally leave the safety of his cozy bedroom. It reminded me of a professor's office, minus the king sized bed to the side of the room. He certainly was an odd one.

I walked out into the living room to Spencer dishing out food onto plates for both of us. My stomach growled in response to the smell, I was hungrier than I thought. Sitting on the other side of the couch from Spencer, I sat nervously waiting.

“Do you feel better after your shower?” he asked, glancing up from his task briefly.

I shrugged, “It kind of hurt, but I expected that to happen.”

He put down the dish he was holding before scooting closer to me. “May I?” he asked, gesturing towards the arm that was closest to him.

I nodded and he took my arm, placing it gently over his leg so he could inspect all of the cuts. “They seem to be closing up well. Did you want to wrap them, or I'm sure I have some cream we can put on it.”

“The doctor told me to leave the bandages off.” I shivered as he ran his fingers gently over my skin. His touch caused goosebumps to pop up all over my arms.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“Uh. Yeah.” I lied. “My only sweater smells like the hospital.”

He stood up quickly and grabbed a sweater from the closet next to the door. I put it on when he handed it to me and I was surrounded by his scent, a mixture of books and coffee. “Thanks.”

Spencer stared at me for a second before shaking his head slightly and handing me the plate of food. We ate in companionable silence while watching one of my favourite shows that he put on the television. By the time we finished eating, my eyes were heavy and I was losing track of the show. He must of noticed because I felt him gently pull on my hand, gesturing for me to lay down against him.

I pulled my bare feet up onto the couch and laid my head on his shoulder. His arm went around my back, his hand resting on my waist. Full, warm and being cuddled against Spencer's side, I felt myself starting to drift off. “Spence...?” I mumbled.

He rubbed his hand on my waist and kissed my head. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

\---

I woke up sometime later curled against a sleeping Spencer. The living room was almost completely dark, save for the 'Are you still watching this?' screen from the television. I got up carefully to not wake Spencer before I got up to stretch and make a quick bathroom trip.

When I came back, feeling much better after I brushed my teeth, Spencer had shifted to lay down on the couch. I sat down on the other side of him and pulled my feet up, hugging my knees to my chest. I felt a little guilty about falling asleep so much, but I considered myself lucky that I seemed to be the type of person the reverted to sleep when I wasn't feeling well. 

The little break down I had earlier came completely out of the blue. When I had undressed and seen the wreckage that was the skin on my arms and chest, I couldn't handle it. I was trying to be quiet to not alert Spencer, turning on the shower to mask the sounds but he had heard me anyways. It was comforting to know that I had someone there, but as sweet as I knew he was, I couldn't help but wonder if he was just telling me I was beautiful to be nice.

I observed his sleeping face, trying to reconcile the facts and my fears. Running my hands through my sleep tangled hair, I cuddled closer to the arm of the couch and pulled Spencer's sweater closer around me. With the sunlight gone from the room, it had gotten colder in the room. I pulled a small blanket of the back of the couch and put it over the both of us as much as possible. 

Just as I was getting comfortable and starting to drift back to sleep, Spencer's periodic mumbling turned into more agitated sounds. I instantly sat up, knowing that this was not a good dream.

“Spencer?” I whispered, pushing the blanket off myself.

I didn't get a response but he's breathing had quickened. I stood up and knelt next to his head. “Spencer?” I repeated, rubbing my hand down his arm.

His eyes snapped open and he inhaled deeply. “Olivia!”

“Hey. You okay?” 

He shifted to sit up a little more. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

I shook my head. “No. I've been up for a little while.”

“What time is it?”

I shrugged. “No idea. Late, I'm assuming.”

“Or early, depending on how you look at it.” he flashed his phone at me to show me the time.

“4 A.M. Huh. Guess I was out for a while. Sorry for falling asleep on you.”

“Don't even worry about it. You need the sleep. Why don't you go back to bed. While you're here you can sleep in my room.”

“And you'll sleep where?” I asked, knowing the answer.

He laughed. “The couch of course. I've slept here while doing research plenty of time. Actually..” he pointed to the chair by the window. “I think I've slept there more than the couch or my bed.”

I shook my head. “I'm not taking your bed. It's bad enough I'm taking up your time and your apartment.”

“Don't be ridiculous. I offered all of this.” he stood up and pulled me up by my hand. “Let's go.”

I followed him reluctantly into his room, and stood by the door as he pulled the comforter down from the closest side. He turned on the lamp next to it. “There.”

“Thanks.” I walked past him and sat on the edge of the bed, looking shyly at him. I wanted to ask him to stay with me, but I couldn't bring myself to ask him. A ridiculous thought after everything we had shared.

“You can't be comfortable sleeping in my sweater.”

I pulled it closer around me, shaking my head. I didn't want to have to see it anymore than absolutely necessary. “I'm fine.”

He hesitated a moment before smiling at me. “Alright, well, goodnight.”

“N-night, Spence.”

He was about to walk away before turning back to me. “Do you want me to-”

“Yes.” I cut him off before covering my mouth, embarrassed. “Yes.” I mumbled. “I want you to stay with me.”

He nodded, gestured for me to wait a minute and disappeared out of the room, I could hear the water running in the bathroom and waited patiently for him to finish getting ready for bed. When he came back, he motioned for me to shift over to the other side of the bed, which I did quickly. I awkwardly laid down as he got himself comfortable. It had been a really long time since I shared a bed with a man. Even though this particular time wasn't sexual, it was definitely intimate.

We laid there in silence, both of us tense and no where's near falling asleep. He looked over at me and bit his lip, before we both started laughing.

“I'm sorry.” he said between peels of laughter. “I didn't mean for this to be so awkward.”

“I didn't either.”

He put his arm out and gestured for me to come closer to him. As I moved over, he slipped his arm behind my shoulder. “Is this okay?” he asked.

“Of course, Spencer. This is perfect.”

He turned himself over until we were nearly nose to nose which cause any residual laughter to die in my throat as his eyes met mine. I looked down shyly and blushed, thankful for the low light.

“You know, if I didn't know better, I would say I make you uncomfortable.” he remarked.

“What do you mean?” I asked, looking at his face again. He wasn't completely wrong. Although, I wasn't so much uncomfortable as I was nervous, but it was definitely caused by him.

“Well, you're completely tense, for one. You're also avoiding eye contact, and you're body temperature is rising.”

“Okay, Doctor, you got me. I am uncomfortable.” I said.

He leaned away from me, regarding me sadly. “I'm sorry. I can go sleep on the couch.”

I shook my head. “No. Uncomfortable is the wrong word. I'm nervous.” I played with the edge of the sweater. “I just-, I don't-” I couldn't find the words to convey what I wanted to say to him. I was nervous because I didn't quite no how to act towards him. Was there a label on what we were doing? Could I kiss him if I wanted to? We had held hands, we had kissed, albeit briefly. The whole situation was kind of confusing. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous I felt. I had just been kidnapped and cut up after being stalked and here I was wondering where my relationship stood with Spencer. I almost rolled my eyes at myself, this whole last 10 months was messing with my head completely.

Spencer tapped the bottom of my chin gently. “Did I lose you for a second? I can see you contemplating something, but I can't tell what it is.”

I took a deep breath, trying to strengthen my resolve before leaning forward and pressing my lips to him. He inhaled sharply and it felt like he was going to pull back, but then he didn't and he pressed himself closer against me, his other arm coming around my waist.

The kiss in the hospital had left me warm, but this kiss was enough to set me on fire. The warm softness of his lips against mine seemed to erase every ache and pain across my body. He tasted of peppermint, and I was surrounded by his coffee and book smell. His hand was rubbing soft circles into my back, but his comforting gesture was anything but comforting. My thoughts went in the complete opposite direction of sleep and as if without my consent, my hand went to his stomach before running up his chest.

He placed one last soft kiss on my slightly parted lips before resting his forehead on mine. “Olivia.”

I took a breath at the huskiness in his voice and I knew that my voice would mirror his. “Yeah?”

“You're okay with this? With me in bed with you? With kissing?” he asked, leaving me slightly confused.

“Of course. Why wouldn't I be?”

He sighed. “I'm just trying to make sure that you're okay.”

I smiled slightly before nodding. “I really am, Spencer.”

Seeming content with my answer, he kissed me again. This time, rather than just small pecks on my lips, his tongue ran a soft line against the seam of my mouth. I gasped, warmth shooting through me again as his tongue tangled with mine. My hand continued it's trail up his chest and around the back of his neck before I tangled my fingers gently in his shaggy hair and tried to mould my body to his. His hand trailed a path over my hip and up my side, cupping my cheek gently.

I could feel the cuts on my arms tugging, but I didn't care. I nipped at his bottom lip, relishing in the soft moan that was muffled in our kiss.

He pushed me onto my back, never breaking the kiss and continued his frustratingly slow exploration of my torso, his hands never coming close to any area that my body was aching to be touched. Always the gentleman. I almost giggled at my thoughts, but it was cut off by my sharp intake of breath when his hand brushed against the low band of my pyjama bottoms.

He broke the kiss, his hand moving quickly to rest next to my hip. “Did I hurt you?” he examined my face for any signs of pain. “Did I touch the cut on your stomach? I was trying to avoid it.”

“Um, Spencer?” I wracked my brain to find a way to explain it. “That, uh, wasn't a sound of pain.”

I watched his face, waiting for him to understand but his brows were still furrowed in confusion. “I don't get i-” he stopped, his eyes widening before he grinned. “Oh,” his hand moved back to my stomach, pushing my tank top up slightly. “You know, the stomach does tend to be an erogenous zone for many people.”

I laughed and pulled him back down to kiss me, trying to ignore the embarrassment of the any noise that escaped my mouth. I was hardly a loud person during sex, but the brushes of his hand against my skin was driving me crazy. My hands went back to his hair, tugging gently as my hands clenched from the feelings shooting through me.

The tugging on his hair elicited a response I was not expecting for a man like Spencer. The low growl that rumbled through his chest shot a jolt of pleasure of my own through me. His hand made one last sweep over my lower stomach before he laid back on his side. I could feel his hardness pressing into my hip and was about to turn to face him when he broke the kiss and stopped me, kissing my cheek and then my temple gently.

“That's enough for tonight.” he said gently.

I was slightly disappointed but nodded. “Okay.”

“You need sleep, and I've been keeping you up too long.”

“I've been sleeping all day, Spence.” I tried to hold back a yawn, but failed miserably. “I don't need to sleep.”

“Yes, yes you do.” he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to snuggle into his chest. “Sleep, Beautiful.”

“Fine.” I grumbled. I needed to calm my body down, but feeling the proof of our little make-out session pressing into my stomach was going to make it difficult.

“You're lucky you're comfortable.” I yawned, and he chuckled before humming softly in my ear until I fell asleep.


	10. Spencer

Spencer was having a hard time sleeping but instead of bad dreams being to blame, it was the black haired woman snuggled into his chest. When he asked her if she wanted him to sleep in the bed with her, what transpired was not what he had in mind. It was the reason why he cut their intense make out session short, as much as it pained him to do so. He wanted nothing more than to continue his exploration of her body but he didn't want to force her into anything. Being in the profession that he was, he knew that some people resorted to sexual release to give them a break from physical or mental anguish. Like someone doing drugs or drinking alcohol to numb the pain, it was nothing but a band-aid.

The sounds that she was making, though, were going to be the death of him. He was looking forward to a time that he could hear more sweet sounds falling from her lips. Spencer's sexual experiences were few and far between, but he would do anything possible to make Olivia feel as much pleasure as possible after all the pain she's gone through.

He took a deep breath to try to calm himself down, focusing on the soft breaths puffing against his chest. Even so, he laid in the bed until light started shining through the curtains and into the bedroom. Olivia moved in her sleep, and Spencer loosened his arms around her, letting her move. She ended up sprawled on her back, her tank top lifting up higher from the movements, exposing a thick strip of pale skin.

He watched her for some time, dozing periodically until he felt it was a reasonable time to get up. He didn't really want to move, but the temptation of his coffee machine pulled him out of bed. Pulling his arm gently out from under her, he quietly crept out of the room. 

Some time later, Spencer was sitting on the couch, a mug of sugary coffee cradled in his hands as he read a book. He didn't want to wake Olivia, but it was creeping up on 10 in the morning and he figured she would want to wake up soon. He fixed her a coffee in the kitchen, refilled his cup and went into the bedroom.

He sat gently on the bed, putting both cups of coffee down on the bedside table. She was still sprawled out on her back, the covers now pulled up to under her chest. He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. “Hey.” he said softly.

She fidgeted and sighed, before relaxing back into sleep. He grinned and brushed the hair out of her face. “Hey.”

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled. “Morning, Spence.”

He smiled back and kissed her forehead quickly before handing her the coffee cup from the side table. She pulled herself up to sit against the leather wrapped headboard and gladly accepted it. “Coffee in bed? I could get used to this.” she said, her voice rough with sleep.

“Good, you should.” he laughed, if coffee in bed was all she needed in the morning to make her smile at him, he would bring her gallons.

She sipped the coffee and glanced across his room. “I hope I didn't kick you out of your own bed, I know I move a lot in my sleep.”

He shook his head. “Nope, just wanted coffee.” he tipped his head towards the living room. “Come on, let's go out there and we'll get some breakfast.”

She nodded and he took the coffee cup so she could get out of bed. Olivia moved carefully before stopping short with a gasp, her hand going to her stomach.

“Hey, you alright?” Spencer asked, concern crossing his face.

“Yeah, just really sore this morning for some reason.”

“Come on. I'll take the bandage off of it and take a look.” he said. She looked hesitant, but as she tried to move and winced again, she finally agreed.

He helped her up off of the bed and into the living room, leaving her alone for a second to retrieve the cups of coffee. When he came back, she had stretch herself out on the couch and pulled her shirt up slightly to expose the bandage. Her face looked pained as if it was causing more and more discomfort.

Spencer put the coffee down and retrieved some medical supplies from the bathroom. He pulled out bandages, alcohol and anti-inflammatory drugs, brought it back over to Olivia and handed her the medication. She took it gratefully, washing it down with the coffee.

“Okay, this is not going to be comfortable but I'll try to be as gentle as possible.” he warned her.

She took a breath and nodded. 

He pulled the bandage off her belly carefully, revealing the jagged wound that was stapled together. It was red, raw and swollen, the skin around it bruised nearly purple. Spencer examined it carefully, pressing gently into the skin around the wound. Although it looked serious, it at least didn't show any signs of infection. He worked quickly, cleaning the cut, putting an antibiotic cream on it, and bandaged it loosely.

Olivia's eyes were squeezed shut as she tried not to move while he worked. He moved onto the other cuts, encouraging her gently to take the sweater off so he could look at all of them. He did her chest last, blushing slightly as he cleaned the cut above her breast. 

“You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, swallowing thickly. “Alcohol burns like crazy.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, but it'll help later.”

When he finished, she put the sweater back on and sat up so he could sit. “Thank you. It feels better now.”

“So what do you want to do today?”

She shrugged. “I don't know. Be lazy? Read? I have to call my parents at some point. I also need to go get more clothes and stuff from my apartment.”

“Why don't we go get some breakfast and then we'll stop at your apartment?”

They spent most of the morning and early afternoon out of the apartment. Spencer helped Olivia pack up some clothing and a portion of her bookshelves to bring over to his apartment. He laughed as he read the back of some of her novels, teasing her about being a hopeless romantic. She took it in stride, trying to convince him to read some of the books he was joking about.

When they got back to his apartment they were still discussing it, Olivia ranting on about one of her favourite authors.

“I know people look down on romances, but they really are wonderful things to read. Who doesn't love a happily ever after?” she gushed as she started unpacking the box of books and placing them on the shelf that he had cleared off for her.

“I'm not saying there's anything wrong with them.” he laughed. “I'm just saying that most of the books I tend to read are more on the educational side.”

She took a book off of his shelf. “So reading 'The Science of the Mind and Behaviour' is more interesting to you then reading something happy?”

“Well, it's kind of my job.” he smiled and took the textbook from her, putting it back on the shelf.

“Alright, Doctor, I'll leave your books alone.” When she was done putting the books away, she grabbed her favourite off the shelf and walked over to the couch, curling up on it with her legs underneath her.

He watched her for a moment as she started to read. She was biting her bottom lip in concentration and he couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she looked. He loved how excited to got when she was talking about the books she loved. Her entire face seem to brighten and her blue eyes shone. The memories of her hesitant touches from the night before flooded his thoughts. His fingers itched to touch her again, her skin was the softest thing he's felt. Seeing the things he did at work, having such good, innocent things in his personal life was needed to keep him sane.

He took a book of his own off of the shelf and sat next her to start reading. She glanced up at him before going back to her book. Getting comfortable, she lifted her feet and placed them on Spencer's lap. He was overcome with a sense of calm, doing something as mundane with the person he loved was so unexpected, but very welcomed.

Between page turns, he would run his fingers gently up and down Olivia's calf. Every few passes, his hand would move a little higher until eventually he was running his hand from ankle to mid-thigh. It was such an unconscious motion that he didn't realize what he was doing until Olivia started fidgeting.

“Sorry.” he started, looking at her “Is this bothering you?”

He noticed her face flushing as she shook her head. She swallowed thickly. “Uh, no. Not at all.”

Although she was flushing, he could see the heat in her eyes, flashes of desire showing loud and clear every time she looked over at him. He put his book down and leaned over to take her hand, tugging gently in invitation for her to come closer to him. She put her book down and moved her way over to him, shuffling around to kneel next to him. Sitting back on her heels, she watched him closely her breathing heightening and he knew that she saw the same desire reflecting in his eyes.

“Come here.” he said, his voice husky.


	11. Olivia - NSFW

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is strictly just a chapter of smut. If that's not your thing, you can skip it.  
> I find smut is important to building up the relationship of the couple, however, other than that there is no story line in this. If I happen to mention anything story related, I will recap it in the next chapter.  
> I'm going to try to keep any smut to separate, well marked chapters for anyone who isn't interested in reading it :)

The sound of his voice was mesmerizing when it took on that husky tone. His gentle command sent a shiver through my body and I leaned closer to him, my chest pressing against his arm. Spencer continued to gently tug on my hand and I realized what he wanted. Bracing myself on his shoulders, I swung my leg over to straddle him. 

He grinned as I settled on him. “Hi.”

I couldn't help the smile I returned to him. “Hi.”

His hands rested on my hips, his thumbs rubbing gently circles into my skin where my shirt had raised. I sighed as he continued the circles up my sides stopping at my bra and then along my back until he hugged me to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him gently to me.

Spencer turned his head slightly, pressing a soft kiss to the centre of my chest. When I didn't pull away, he trailed more kisses up my chest and onto my neck. He was being so careful not to brush against any of the cuts on my chest but I was way beyond caring. Each press of his lips shot heat through me which settled in the base of my belly.

The small moans that were falling from my lips seemed to encourage him and I tilted my head back as he continued a trail along my throat to the other side of my neck. My hands played in his hair, tugging periodically simply to see if I was right the other night and I was. I could feel the rumble of a growl pass through my skin where he kissed.

His teeth nipped at the crook of my neck before his tongue gently soothed the sting and I couldn't stop the shudders that wracked through me as I titled my head to give him more access. He chuckled against my skin, and I could of screamed in frustration at the agonizingly slow path that he continued to follow over my neck.

He tugged at the bottom on my shirt as if asking permission and I let my arms drop from his shoulders to pull my tank top off over my head leaving most of my skin bared to him. He eyed the lacy bra I was wearing and I struggled with the feeling of wanting to cover my chest and my arms. But as his hands ran upwards over my stomach, any thoughts of embarrassment went away. Spencer was skilled at distracting me from any wayward thoughts. 

Dipping his head, he pressed open mouthed kisses over the uninjured skin of my chest, his teeth scraping every few kisses. As I pressed my hips harder into him, I could feel that it wasn't just me that was being affected by our little distraction. I tilted my hips experimentally, revelling in the harsh exhale of breath from the man beneath me. 

His hands went to my hips and he pressed down firmly. I ground against his hardness and we both moaned. I could see his breathing increasing at each press of my hips. I tugged at his shirt and he chuckled at my enthusiasm before reaching down and pulling his long sleeve shirt off. I trailed my hands down his chest, my hands feeling the smooth skin of his abdomen. A shiver passed through him and he seemed to arch into my hands. 

He groaned and he pulled me in for another heated kiss, and he made quick work of my bra. I broke the kiss and leaned towards his ear.

“Spencer..”

“Hmm?” he responded, drinking in the sight of my bare breasts.

I hesitated for a moment, but then deciding I was too frustrated to wait any longer, I whispered “Touch me.”

He gasped before his hands finally met the bare skin of my breasts. He kneaded them gently, feeling the skin before pressing hot kisses to my flesh. After all the waiting and tension between us, the moan that passed my lips when his mouth reached my peaks was embarrassingly loud. His hands dropped from my chest, one hand pressing into the middle of my back, the other rubbing a line up my thigh. He continued to kiss and nip at my breasts and I was nearly lost to sensation. 

When he finally reached the apex of my thighs, my hips jerked. He rubbed softly and I moaned at nearly every pass of his fingers. Heat coiled in my belly and I ground against his hardness in time to the movement of his hand.

Spencer pulled away from my breasts and he watched me as I all but rode his hand. Between his heated stare and his ministrations, it wasn't long before I felt my release building. A few more strokes of his hand and my orgasm barrelled through me, my head falling back as I cried out his name. He worked me through my release, and I moaned softly before dropping my head onto his shoulder.

He held me as I caught my breath, my muscles feeling like jello. I sighed and kissed his cheek, “That was amazing.”

“It was, you're beautiful.” 

As my breathing slowed, I finally lifted my head to look at him. His eyes were still heated and he was observing me closely. I grinned at him, lifting my hand to stroke his neck. I ran my hand down his neck and down his bare chest, trailing my fingers down to just above his groin. I watched him as he clued into what I was going to do. His eyes widened, but he didn't stop me, so I pulled them down slightly and gently released his manhood from the confines of his clothes.

He groaned loudly at the touch of my hand and I ran my fingers gently from base to tip. Feeling emboldened, I wrapped my fingers around him, stroking gently. He reached up with one hand, pulling me forward to kiss him with a hand tangled in my hair. He rocked his hips in time to the strokes of my hand and I broke the kiss, watching his mouth drop slightly open.

Spencer was so expressive when he was otherwise distracted. I could see the pulse beating in his throat, see the pleasure crossing his face. His breathing was increasing with each stroke and I could almost see that he was close to his release. I quickened my movements, watching his eyes nearly roll as my hand ran across a particularly sensitive spot.

His hand was still in my hair and as the noises he was making increased, I leaned forward to kiss and nip his chest. His fingers clenched and my name tore from him as he spilled his release between us. I slowed my movements before stopping completely and placing a kiss to his lips.

Chuckling, he looked down at the mess between us. I got up quickly to go get a cloth from the bathroom before handing it to him so he could clean up.

I wanted to cover up, but instead cuddled into his side when he was done cleaning himself. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, laying it over me before wrapping his arm around my waist. We sat in silence, both satisfied and relaxed.


	12. Spencer

The last thing Spencer ever wanted to do was to move from the spot he was in right at that moment. Olivia was pressed into his side, her soft, bare skin against his, her breath brushing against his chest. He stroked the skin of her back, his fingers drawing patterns around her spine.

Olivia snuggled closer and sighed, pressing a kiss into his chest. “I don't want to move.” she said with a giggle. 

He chuckled, “You want to just spend the rest of the day half naked on the couch?”

“Netflix and chill?”

Spencer looked at her confused but vaguely remembered Penelope and Derek joking about it. “Doesn't that mean watching a show or a movie and having sex?”

She laughed. “Yes, that's exactly what it means.”

He leaned down and nipped at her shoulder, causing Olivia to gasp. “We can definitely manage that.” Spencer grabbed the remote and flicked on a T.V. show for them to watch. 

Sometime later, they were interrupted by Spencer's phone ringing. He untangled himself from Olivia and answered it. She eyed him curiously as he sighed and eventually agreed to something. He clicked off the phone and rolled his eyes. “Get dressed, Beautiful. A couple of my coworkers are on their way over.”

Her eyes widened and she rushed to stand up. “You're not serious? Who?”

Spencer started walking towards the bedroom and she followed him. “Derek and Penelope. They want to come see how you are.”

“Not to sound bitchy, but couldn't they have just asked you?” she asked with a pout. “I was extremely comfortable and no sleeves or clothes actually makes the cuts feel better.”

As they reached his room, he turned to her, pressing his knuckle under her chin to tilt her face up to him. “I know. I'm sorry, but after they leave we can resume our 'Netflix and Chill'.”

Olivia laughed and stood up on her toes to kiss him, even so, he had to meet her half way. “Hearing you say that is hilarious.” she sighed. “Fine, I guess I'll get dressed.”

Before she could turn away from him, Spencer ran his finger down her neck and between her breasts, leaving a flush behind in it's wake. He huffed and turned away from her, walking over to get dressed by the closet.

She grinned slightly to herself before putting on a bra and a tank top, hoping her sweat pants were excusable due to the situation. Spencer had thrown on his regular dress of slacks and a button up shirt. When they were both decent, they padded back into the living room to wait for the two intruders to arrive. 

Spencer wasn't really sure how he was supposed to act with Olivia with his coworkers around, but Olivia seemed nervous and was sitting so close to him that she might as well have been sitting on his lap. He pulled the blanket over her shoulders, figuring she'd want to hide the cuts. Thanking him, she wrapped it tighter around her.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her other arm across his abdomen. He knew she was nervous about seeing people, especially people that the last time she saw them was when she was almost murdered.

Spencer felt her jump at the knock on the door, he squeezed her reassuringly before calling out for them to come in.

Derek and Penelope both walked in, smiling at the couple cuddled up on the couch. The brightly dressed woman walked directly over to Olivia and awkwardly leaned down to try to hug her. 

Olivia pulled herself away from Spencer to return the hug and smiled at her. “It's so nice to see you again, Penelope.”

“You look amazing, Olivia.” she turned to Derek, “Hey, Hot Stuff. Bring the girl her coffee.”

Derek handed Olivia and Spencer a coffee from the tray he was holding and then handed Penelope hers. “No need to be so bossy, Baby Girl.” he smiled at Olivia. “So you're the pretty little thing that has distracted our boy wonder.”

Spencer rolled his eyes, reaching over with his free hand to hold Olivia's. “You can just ignore him. I do.”

“Hey now.” the bald man laughed, holding up his hands in front of him. “No need to be so defensive, Spencer. I'm just trying to make conversation.”

Olivia reached her hand out tentatively. “It's nice to meet you, Derek. Spencer has told me so much about you.”

Derek shook her hand gently, careful not to jostle her too much and shot a look to Spencer. “See, she likes me.”

“So how are you feeling?” Penelope asked, sitting next to Olivia and taking a sip out of the paper cup.

Olivia shrugged and pulled the blanket tighter around her. “I'm alright. Spencer's been a huge help to me.”

“You look tired. Pretty boy, have you been letting the poor girl sleep?” Derek joked, which cause Olivia's face to heat significantly and Spencer to glare at the bigger man.

Penelope's mouth dropped over. “Derek Morgan, I can't take you anywhere, can I?” she swatted at his arm before placing her hand on Olivia's arm. “I'm sorry. He's awful.”

Olivia gripped Spencer's hand tighter, and he ran his thumb gently over her hand. “So if you guys are done making my girlfriend uncomfortable...” he trailed off.

Penelope stared at him wide eyed for a moment before starting to discuss a case with him. He gave his opinion and his theory, but didn't want to go into too much detail as he could see Olivia turning a little green.

“You know, the unsub is probably local to the area. He seems to know too much...” Spencer trailed off and nudged Olivia gently. “Why don't you go lay down, Beautiful? You've been up for quite a while.”

She nodded and tried not to get up too eagerly. The blanket fell from around her shoulders as she stood up and Spencer could see Penelope and Derek eyeing the wounds on her arms and chest.

Penelope got up and plucked Olivia's coffee cup out of her hand. “Here, why don't I carry this for you. We'll go hang out for a few?”

Olivia nodded and followed Penelope into the bedroom. Spencer watched them until the door shut behind them. 

He turned back to Derek laughing. “Oh man, you have it bad don't you?”

Spencer blushed before nodding. “I do. She's amazing. She's been so strong and I don't know how, but I'm not complaining.”

“It's because of you, Lover Boy. One thing you'll learn is that being there for someone has way more impact than you could ever imagine. She has someone to lean on so she doesn't have to deal with this alone.”

The younger man nodded, contemplating his friends words. Shaking his head, he changed the subject. “So when do you guys leave for this case?”

“Tomorrow morning. Hotch wanted all of us to take a little time off after everything with Olivia. You're only coming back in a few weeks, right?”

“Around then. But feel free to call me if you need me to look at anything for you guys. I'm sure I can help from here.”

“Sounds good, man.” Derek stood up. “Why don't I go grab Penelope and we'll leave you two be? When we come back, Rossi wants to have a supper. Is that good with you?”

Spencer nodded. “It should be alright. I'll see how Olivia feels then. You all can be a little overwhelming and she's spent most of the last year without much social interaction.”

Derek nodded and went to retrieve the bubbly blond who was fussing over Olivia. Spencer walked up behind Derek to see Penelope tucking Olivia into bed and handing her a book and her coffee.

“Okay, Penelope, that's enough. Let Spencer take care of her.” Derek scolded gently.

She sighed. “Fine. Have a good sleep! We'll see you soon.”

Olivia waved awkwardly to the two and Spencer escorted them out of the apartment, hugging them both before shutting the door behind them. Flicking the lock, he went back to join the tired woman in his bed.

As he walked in, Olivia was pushing the blanket off of herself and fidgeting so she could sit up against the headboard.

“I'm sorry about them.” Spencer said sheepishly, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her.

She smiled and shook her head. “Penelope is a little overwhelming but she's extremely nice. I really like her.” Olivia moved over on the bed so Spencer could sit closer to her.

“They actually invited us to have dinner at another coworker's when they get back from this case. If you're up for it, of course.”

She nodded, before cuddling into him. “Yeah, that should be alright. Are they all as, uh, peppy as Penelope?”

Spencer laughed. “No. Penelope is her own special case.” he pulled her closer to him. “Now it's time to take a nap. I wasn't just trying to get you out of a social situation earlier.”

Olivia rolled her eyes, but cuddled into him. “Even if I don't fall asleep, we can just cuddle right?”

He nodded and rubbed soothing circles into her back. He knew she didn't want to fall asleep, but before long he could see her muscles relaxing and her breathing even out. Smiling to himself, he brushed the hair from her face and watched her. With everything that was going on, he was tired. He felt like he had aged 10 years since he started talking to her but he wouldn't change it for anything.

“I love you, Beautiful.” he whispered to her before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He just hoped that nothing would change this tiny bit of peace they were finally building.


End file.
